Former WNBA star Rushia Brown and IMPD host special basketball clinic for girls

Former WNBA players and officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department came together Saturday to host the “Play Like a Girl” basketball clinic for girls in the community.

The program, organized in partnership with the National Police Athletics/Activities League and Servcom, a nonprofit founded by former WNBA star Rushia Brown, aimed to emphasize the importance of community involvement and to redefine the phrase “play like a girl,” which is often used as an insult.

“We want to take control of the narrative and make sure that young ladies understand that when we say ‘play as a girl,’ that means play as Caitlin Clark, play as Angel Reese, play as A’ja Wilson (and) play as Kelsey Plum,” Brown said.

“All these women are amazing on the field and off the field,” she added. “So when someone says, ‘You play like a girl,’ it means something positive.”

About 20 girls got out of bed that morning and headed to the JTV Hill Center to learn skills and drills from former WNBA players like Brown, Amber Harris, Helen Darling and Robin Threatt. Depending on the player they were working with, the girls learned the importance of dribbling and ball control, finishing a layup or playing defense like an elite player.

“I think it’s always really good to give back to the community and to the younger girls who want to play basketball someday,” Threatt said. “I think the entire staff here are great role models who have played both college basketball and professional basketball. So I think we have a lot of insight to give back to the young girls.”

Many of the parents in attendance were grateful that IMPD hosted the event and noted how rare it is to see these types of events for girls.

“I thought this event was super cool. I didn’t expect to see the WNBA players. I thought it was just going to be police officers running it,” Ramone Eubank said. “With women’s sports becoming as big as it has, I think it’s good for young girls to see that and not have it just be focused on boys.”

IMPD officers said they felt the event was a success, especially because it gave the girls a sense of empowerment and brought the community closer together.

Officer Tarah Butcher said she wanted to show that they are also part of the community and that people can feel safe with them.

“Most of the time when the community sees the police, it’s probably on the worst day of their life and one of the worst moments of their life. I hope they can see that police in a different light and in a different light and know that we’re human too,” she said.